The Dragon and the Genie: Moon
by Epiclot214
Summary: What if along with the Dragon Prince's egg, Callum, Ezran, and Rayla also gained another party member? A comical, blue genie. The three decide to share in the wishes to get the egg home to Xadia. This is my first musical (parodies).
1. Echoes of Thunder

Almost a dozen children gathered around a humorous peddler after he started closing his wagon that he brought to Katolis. He was a strange man, but the children loved him because he told the best stories, which is what they came for.

"A story, please." One child said.

"A new one." Another said.

"Okay, okay, children." The peddler said. He began pondering combing through his mind for a worthwhile story. Then, an idea popped in his head. "All right, boys and girls. This might be the best story you're ever going to hear. It features two boys, an elf, a toad, an egg, and a lamp. Long ago, there were only six primal sources of magic: sky, stars, sun, moon, earth, and ocean. But one day, a human mage discovered a seventh source: dark magic. It allowed humans to take the natural life essence of others to cast spells. The dragons and elves didn't like that, so they split Xadia into two. There have been tension between both sides of the continent for years, and then, war broke when the dragon king was slain and his egg was destroyed. But that's only part of the story."

"Mr. Peddler." A your boy interrupted. "If you don't mind, could you sing please?"

"Yeah." A girl concurred. "Your stories are always better with songs."

"Oh, I don't know." The peddler said bashfully. When he looked back at the children's pleading eyes, he gave in.

"_Oh, close your eyes and imagine_

_A new world to live in_

_That is well divided and split_

_With dragons one side_

_And the other will provide_

_Humans with unpredictable grit_

_Once, the lands were one_

_But that all came undone_

_By the humans' want for might_

_Magic was their desire_

_Which led to something dire_

_Back in a Xadian night_"

* * *

It was only one night until the full moon, and that's when a small team of Moonshadow elves planned to assassinate King Harrow of Katolis. When a guard was unfortunate enough to find their secret camp, the elf leader, Runaan, sent the young elf, Rayla, to kill him before he could warn the king. For a moment, she was actually going to do it, but she changed her mind as she didn't have the strength to take a human life. He disappeared back to the castle.

"_There's the moon and the sky_

_The sun will catch your eye_

_Three of six Primal sources_

_The stars, ocean, and earth_

_They all have their worth_

_To play in magic forces_

_But the humans turned to dark_

_By taking the hearts_

_Of other creatures striking fright_

_A war broke, but it can mend_

_By a kind group of friends_

_In a magical Xadian night_"

Prince Callum was staying up at night practicing his drawing skills. He can sketch a good picture while his step-brother, Prince Ezran, slept through the thunder with his glow toad, Bait. They were blissfully unaware that both their lives would change very soon.

"_Xadian niiiiiiiiiiiiights_

_Like Xadian daaaaaaaaaaays_

_Each twist and each turn_

_Gives a chance to learn_

_That there are other waaaaaaaaays_

_Xadian niiiiiiiiiiiiights_

_And Xadian plaaaaaaaans_

_Either right or wrong_

_Either weak or strong_

_There's still the same laaaaaaands_"

Callum wasn't the only one too focused to sleep. The royal advisor's children, Soren and Claudia, were busy as well. Soren, the young guardsman, was either working out or practicing his weapon-handling. He knew he had to help Callum practice in the morning. Meanwhile, his sister Claudia, a young enthusiast of dark magic like her father, studied her spellbook just because.

"_Bad choices are made_

_When you're angry or afraid_

_That's just how it works in real life_

_But either right or wrong_

_What can make us strong_

_IS SEEING THE TRUTH IN THE STRIFE_"

And as for the royal advisor himself, Viren was in his study along with his parrot companion, Iago. Viren couldn't help but be curious about a certain full-length mirror he obtained before. He knew there was something more to it than meets the eye, but he couldn't figure it out. He had attempted every spell he could find and so far, the mirror had no reaction. With each try, he became more and more frustrated internally. He eventually gave up for the night and headed to bed.

"_XADIAN NIIIIIIIIIIIGHTS_

_UNDER XADIAN STAAAAAAARS_

_IT'S THE PLOT YOU KNEW_

_WITH JUST A TWIST OR TWO_

_AND HEY, HERE YOU AAAAAAARE_

_XADIAN NIIIIIIIIIIIGHTS_

_IN A XADIAN GLIIIIIIIMPSE_

_COME, JUMP RIGHT IN_

_LET THE MAGIC BEGIN_

_About the Dragon Priiiiiiiiiiince_"

* * *

Ezran and Bait had just got through the chef with their lives and still stuffed with jelly tarts. They escaped through the hallway when they bumped into Ezran's caretaker.

"Prince Ezran."

"Oh, hey, Dalia." Ezran said with a nervous chuckle.

"Did you steal from the chef again?" Dalia chuckled.

"Maybe." Ezran responded almost hesitantly.

"Well… I won't tell if you don't." Dalia whispered.

"Thank you, Dalia." Ezran said as he continued down the hallway. "You're the best."

* * *

Iago was just done with his breakfast in Viren's study with the wizard himself.

"What's up, Viren?" Iago said.

"I've got something for Claudia and Viren, Iago." Viren said.

"I swear, if you want to pluck me again…" Iago growled. "You do know I Just regrew my tail-feathers, right?"

"Iago, your little sacrifices contribute to protecting the kingdom." Viren said. "A feather, a talon clipping, saliva. You are a viable source of ingredients. Probably has to do with your speech or something."

"I swear, the only reason I'm putting up with this is because it's considered my rent for living in this sweet castle." Iago ranted.

"Then luckily for you, what I plan right now doesn't involve you." Viren said just as the door opened up. His two children walked in.

"You wanted to see us, dad?" Soren asked.

"Yes." Viren said. "It appears we're having visitors from Xadia on the way. Unwelcome visitors."

"What, like mistrals or something?" Soren asked.

"He means assassins." Claudia corrected her brother.

"I know." Soren said.

"Soren, I need you to find their secret camp and stop them." Viren said. He then pulled out a small box. "These assassins are Moonshadow elves. They draw power from the moon. This box holds a special moth that is drawn to moon magic. Just follow it and you should stop the elves from doing something… drastic."

"You mean kill the king." Soren said.

Viren flared up and looked outside of the open window and saw Callum looking up with a face that said he overheard. Viren slammed the window shut and shoved the box in Soren's hands.

"Keep this discreet!" Viren ordered. "We don't want to make a scene!"

"How did the kid hear us from down there?" Iago asked.

"Dad, if they're Moonshadow elves, then they'll draw power from tonight's full moon." Claudia said. "And if they do…"

"They'll be unstoppable." Viren assured.

"Well, rest assured, I'll find a way." Claudia vowed. "After all, unstoppable is just another kind of stoppable."

"What?" Iago asked.

"I don't know." Claudia said. "It made more sense in my head."

"I bet." Iago rolled his eyes. "Well, have fun chasing elves. I'll be staying up here where everything is awesome and the elves won't have any reason to skewer me."

"No, but I'm starting to have one." Soren said.

* * *

King Harrow gazed out into the sky from the window of his throne room. His deep sigh didn't display a lot of good expectations. Just then, his head guard entered the room.

"Your majesty, Soren and the guardsmen have been sent out to search for the assassins."

"Thank you, Hakim." Harrow said. "In case they don't become successful, I want you to notify the guards to double our defenses, especially at nighttime."

"Right away, sir." Hakim marched out the room and closed the door behind him leaving the king alone in the room.

Harrow returned to his throne and tapped his head thinking of a solution. Then, a thought passed in his mind. Slowly, he emerged from his throne and walked right next to it. He knelt down and lifted up one of the bricks in the floor. Underneath, he found a filthy rag covering something. Harrow lifted it up and removed the rag revealing a bronze oil lamp shining as if it was brand new.

Harrow stared at the trinket and gave a slight sigh. "Can I?"

* * *

**Author's Note: **_After much deliberation and a majority of my voters said yes, I have decided to move on with this story and include song parodies. I do not own the songs I'm basing them on, and I will be changing the lyrics, and even the song titles sometimes. How this works is I am going to include one song per chapter (maybe two with reprises). I don't know all the songs I am going to do, but I do have some good ones for the future. If you have a request song for me to parody, I am open to hear. All I need is the song title and a certain event in an episode of the series. Obviously, the song featured here is a parody of "Arabian Nights" from Aladdin (2019). As much as I love the original version and Robin Williams, I do enjoy Will Smith's more upbeat version. I'm sorry if this chapter isn't very descriptive or long as it should be, but I am going to only have scenes that I am changing by putting Aladdin characters in. I am having some difficulties, but I can move on with it. I hope you all like my very first musical story. Any and all comments are welcome._


	2. What is Done

Rayla was in deep trouble now. Not only did the human guards nearly find her camp, but she was scolded and excluded from the mission by her teacher, Runaan. He was upset because he believed that Rayla didn't have the nerve to kill. It was worse because she had already bound herself with the ribbons around her wrists which Runaan explained would be removed after the job is complete. Rayla decided to prove herself by infiltrating the castle early and complete the mission before the others.

* * *

Callum tried to explain the situation of the assassins to his brother, but Ezran responded by disappearing. The next thing he knew, Callum was summoned over to the throne room to meet up with his stepfather.

"Prince Callum." Harrow greeted.

"My king." Callum responded with a bow.

"Please." Harrow stopped the prince. "Look, Callum, I know I'm not your birth father but I won't you to know that…" He took a deep breath. "This isn't easy. So the important parts, I've written down." Harrow pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper with the king's insignia sealing it. He handed it to Callum. "Break the seal when… Well, you'll know when."

Callum already knew what he meant. "When you die."

Harrow's slight smile dropped. "I'm sorry, Callum."

"This isn't fair." Callum said. "Why don't you make peace with the elves and dragons?"

"It isn't that simple, Callum." Harrow said.

"Seems pretty simple to me." Callum argued. "You don't want to die. I'm pretty sure they don't want to die either. Everybody wins."

"It doesn't work that way. There are centuries of bloodshed between our two lands. What is done cannot be undone. And I am no better. I have committed many horrible deeds myself. I told myself it was necessary, but now, I am not so sure. But I can't erase it, not matter how hard I try."

"But you're the king." Callum said. "You should be able to do whatever you want."

Harrow chuckled. "The illusion of children, the belief that adults have all the power when in fact, it is the opposite. A child is freer than a king."

Callum gripped the scroll in his hand. "I'll return this to you. I won't have to read it." He started to turn when the king stopped him.

"One more thing while you're here. When you get to the Banther Lodge, I would like you to give this to your brother." He held up the bronze lamp and handed it to Callum.

"An old oil lamp?" Callum asked. "Why would you want to give Ez this?"

"Let's just say I hope this brings Ezran more happiness than it could've brought me." Harrow said. "And Callum, that thing you said about peace… You're right. I don't want to die and neither do the elves and dragons. Maybe someday, we'll all realize that."

Callum smiled back. He exited the room and sighed. "Maybe someday.

"_Right here, where humans are preparing for the worst_

_Out there, where elves and dragons bring it_

_Both sides fighting and going about who struck first_

_Each carrying their weapon ready to swing it_

_Everywhere, we're at each other's throats_

_Needing peace, but always absolving it_

_People wish to live on and be at peace_

_Not just survive_

_Lucky to be aliiiiiiiiive_

_And one day_

_We might forget our war_

_And hopefully one day_

_There won't be any more_

_To darken our lives_

_One day_

_When we're not drifting away_

_We can cope_

_We can say_

_That there's hope_

_Things change one daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay_

_One day, where people no longer die_

_For an unending cycle of death_

_Where in the end, no one can win_

_Everyone staying alive_

_Instead of holding on their breath_

_Happier now than they ever have been_

_IF I COULD END THIS STRIFE_

_THEN, WE'D FINALLY BE ENJOYING LIFE_

_One day_

_We could finally be at peace_

_And then, suddenly one day_

_Our conflicts will all cease_

_That's a big maybe for some day_

_AND THEN I PRAY_

_THEY WILL SEE_

_SHOUT HORRAY_

_WE'LL BE FREE_

_WON'T DISMAY_

_HAPPILY_

_BE OKAY_

_HOPE THAT'LL BE_

_OUR_

_TIME_

_ONE_

_DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY_"

Little did he know that right when he finished singing, Rayla appeared and started to follow him.

* * *

Later on, as most of the guards, including Hakim, were strapping on the king's armor on his royal highness, the high mage and his parrot entered the room. Viren carried with him a basket.

"Bad day for a picnic, Viren." Harrow said.

"On that, we agree." Viren said.

"Listen to this, your highness." Iago said. "This is gonna be a sweet deal."

"My king, Moonshadow elves are coming for you tonight." Viren reminded. "Under the light of the full moon, their power grows and they become nearly invisible. They'll get through our guards, penetrate our defenses, and kill you."

"Not helping, Viren." Harrow said.

"But it doesn't have to be you." Viren continued. "In the Midnight Desert, there exists a mysterious creature called the soulfang serpent. One bite, and it will drain any creature's soul out of them. During our last visit, I encountered a rather unique specimen."

Viren placed the basket down on the ground and carefully removed its lid. He then used his staff to lift the creature inside. It was a black and green snake, but while it had one body, it also had…

"Two heads." Viren described. "Two souls held at once, and with my magic, I can switch your soul with another. The elves will find the king's body, but your spirit will live on."

Anyone else would've given it some thought, but Harrow didn't he immediately had an answer, one that Viren didn't expect. "No. I will not hide in another's body while someone else pays for my mistake."

"Hundreds of men and women are willing to die to protect you, and yet, you won't let one soldier sacrifice their life to save yours?" Viren asked.

"It's not the same. I would rather die as a king than live as a coward."

"Oh, I see." Viren said in a disappointed tone. "So that's what this is about. Pride."

"No. I already told you the problem. It's dark magic!"

"Yes, it's dark magic!" Viren shouted. "It's clever. It's brilliant. It's practical!"

"It's a shortcut!" Harrow argued. He turned his face toward the parrot. "Iago, you've seen most of his magic first-hand! And I understand that you lose a piece of yourself every time he does."

"Yeah, it is a pain to lose a feather or some spit every time he needs to make his spells more 'potent'," Iago said, "But if this thing could save my life, I'd take it in a heartbeat. Although, I think I'd like to be transferred into the body of a peacock. Those guys get all the girls."

"That's not the point." Harrow said. "We may not pay the price now, but someday, we'll have to face the consequences."

"You are acting stubborn and ungrateful!" Viren shouted.

"Should I be grateful that you destroyed the Dragon Prince's egg? Grateful for starting this unwinnable war?" Harrow asked. "Because of that, the deadliest kinds of elves are sent here tonight to kill me!"

"Destroying that egg saved our kingdom." Viren said. "Maybe even all of humanity."

"IT WAS AN EGG!"

"AND IT WOULD'VE BECOME THE MOST POWERFUL CREATURE IN THE WORLD!"

Harrow sighed in disbelief and sat down. Viren took a deep breath and continued.

"What is done cannot be undone. I am offering you a path forward." He turned to the head guard. "Hakim, would you trade your life for the king's?"

"Of course, I would." Hakim said. "The king brought me into the ranks of the guard when I was a humble man without a single coin to my name. I'd gladly die to repay that act of kindness. But if the king wishes not to go through with it, then it is not my place to stop him."

"See, even Hakim would do it." Viren said. "Trust me. Each and every one of these men and women would gladly trade their lives to save yours."

Harrow thought for a minute, but then had a single question enter his head. "Would you, Viren?"

That caught the dark mage by surprise. He didn't have an answer for that. Only a stammer. Harrow got the answer he expected from that.

"Get out." He commanded.

Reluctantly, Viren picked up the basket with the snake, turned around, and left the room with Iago on his shoulder.

"Whoo. Cut the tension with knife. Or in this case, a sword."

"Iago, I am not in the mood." Viren said sadly.

"Fine, if that's what you want." Iago said as he started to fly away. "I'll be grabbing a snack to eat during the attack if you'll need me. Please, don't need me."

* * *

During the king and wizard's argument, a miracle was discovered. The young elf, Rayla, had chased Callum and Ezran down a secret tunnel in Viren's study. There, they found an even more secret room full of jars and pots with sinister ingredients inside. But the most interesting piece of all was the blue, glowing egg of the Dragon Prince. Everyone was at each other's throats because they thought it had been destroyed, but since its rediscovery, Callum, Ezran, and even Rayla forgot all about it. Finally, they could put an end to the war. Not to mention there was something just as spectacular sitting in Callum's satchel as the three of them would find out later that night.

* * *

**Author's Note: **_The song featured here is a parody of "Out There" from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Sorry this was short, but I had very little scenes to alter. But that'll all change starting next chapter when we're all introduced to our favorite genie. Honestly, I'm a little split. Should I use the animated version of Genie, the Will Smith version, or a mix of both to use in this story? I'll leave it to you all to decide for me._


	3. Moonrise

**Author's Note: **_The song featured here is obviously a parody of Friend Like Me. More notes at the bottom._

* * *

The sun was nearly set. The time was nigh. In less than a few hours, the Moonshadow elves would make their move. The castle staff knew of the coming danger and King Harrow had begun to reinforce himself with great armor and a dozen guards protecting his room. While the adults were preparing for battle, the three children—Callum, Ezran, and Rayla—had discovered the perfectly intact egg of the Dragon Prince. Now, they had the chance to settle things peacefully, but not everyone wanted it that way.

Claudia, who had followed their trail into the secret lab, nearly attacked Rayla and tried to convince the princes that the egg was a powerful weapon. Callum chained her up and stole her Primal Stone before escaping with his brother and the elf. They caught up with Runaan to try and convince him to call off the attack. Even with the egg in his sight, he still believed in his mission. Rayla fought against him under the full moon's light to buy time for Ezran to hide and Callum to tell the king. However, Callum was unsuccessful to reach his stepfather past Viren and the guards. That's when the elves attacked.

With the situation escalating, Callum had no choice but to escape. At the end of the battle, Callum, Ezran, and Rayla escaped the castle and into the forest while Runaan was captured, but not before he had shot his arrow message for the dragon queen. At that moment, Rayla noticed that one of her ribbons fell off of her wrist. She had realized what it meant and gasped in fear.

"Is something wrong?" Callum asked. "You seem tense."

"…It's nothing." The elf lied. "Come on. We've got a long walk to Xadia."

"Do we have anything to eat?" Ezran asked.

"I'll check." Callum reached into his bag and rummaged his hand through the stuff inside. That's when he noticed something as he felt his fingers brush on something metal. He gripped it and pulled out the brass lamp. "Huh. Forgot I had this."

"What is that?" Ezran asked.

"It's an old oil lamp." Callum said. "Dad wanted me to give it to you when we get to the Banther Lodge."

"Really?" Ezran asked as he took the lamp and examined it. "Why?"

"It doesn't matter." Rayla said. "We need to get to Xadia. Every moment counts."

"I'm just curious." Ezran said. Suddenly, he noticed a blue glow escape the top of the lamp for a second. "What the? The lamp. It glowed."

"What?" Callum asked

"What?" Rayla repeated.

Bait gave a slight croak.

"Wow, this thing is dusty." Ezran commented. "Just needs a polish."

"Is it a magic lamp?" Rayla thought to herself. "But what kind of lamp would…" Suddenly her eyes widened in surprise. "Wait! Don't…"

It was too late. Wish his hand, Ezran brushed off the dust on it. Suddenly, the lamp started to shake making Ezran drop it. Out of the spout of the lamp, blue smoke circled out. The teenagers grouped up and witnessed the smoke grow before their eyes. Then, out of the smoke, a blue giant emerged from it. He was as blue as the sky with black ponytail hair and a short beard. It shouted for a moment before groaning and cracking its neck.

"Boy, I gotta say, your majesty," the blue creature said, "You could not have decided to make your wish sooner. It really gives you such a crick in the neck. Now, what…" He stopped himself when he noticed his surroundings: the middle of the forest with three stunned kids he had never seen before. He looked around. "Where is he?"

"Uh… where's who?" Callum asked.

"The king. You know, the king." The blue creature changed his shape to look like King Harrow, but with blue skin. "Looks like this, but not blue." He changed back.

"That's our dad." Ezran said.

"You're his kids?" the blue creature asked. "And it's just us here. Just you kids, me… and the toad." Bait croaked. "That's your own business, but we're gonna have to talk about that toad later."

"Wait. Hold on a second." Callum said. "How do you know the king?"

"He's my master. Or at least, he was until you kids found my lamp. Anyway…" He then changed the blue, whispy tail under his chest into a microphone and held it to his mouth. "Well, thank you for coming, ladies and gentlemen. Hi. Where are you from? What are your names?"

"Uh… Well, I'm Callum. And this is Ezran and… Uh…"

"Rayla."

"Rayla." Callum finished.

"Callum, Ezran, and Rayla! Hello, you three. Welcome to the show. All right if I called you Cal, Ez, and Ray or are we not there yet? So who rubbed my lamp? Who do I serve tonight?"

"Whoa, serve?" Ezran asked. "Why?"

"He's a genie, that's why." Rayla explained.

"Give the girl a medal." The genie said as an Olympic medal appeared around Rayla's neck for a moment. "What would you wish of me…" He then changed his shape into Arnold Shwartzenegger. "The ever impressive…" He then looked like he was trapped ina tight cube. "The long contained…" He then popped out with a puppet of himself in his hand. "Often imitated…" He threw the puppet away and created copies of himself. "But never duplicated… GENIE OF THE LAMP!"

"What's a genie?" Callum asked.

"Wait, what?" Rayla asked. "You've never heard of genies? They're one of the most powerful creatures in existence. They are so powerful, they are obligated to grant wishes to whoever finds their lamp."

"Wishes?" Ezran asked enthusiastically.

"Three wishes to be exact." Genie said. "And ixnay on the wishing for more wishes." He then changed into a slot machine. "Three." He then popped out three copies of himself in Mexican clothes. "Uno, dos, tres." He then popped out with a piece of contract paper in his hand. "No substitutions, exchanges, or refunds."

"Sorry." Callum said. "I'm just trying to process this."

"Right." Genie said. "So let me break it down for you. I'll teach you the fundamentals of my service.

"_Well, Frodo had his Fellowship of the Ring_

_And Blackbeard had his faithful crew_

_Well, kids, I've got just the thing_

_That I'll gladly offer you_

_I got power for you to use_

_You got wishes I can grant_

_So I beg you, light the fuse_

_It's a simple process. You just gotta rub that lamp_

_Then, I'll say_

_Callum, Ezran, and Rayla_

_I'll serve you happily_

_All that you planned_

_Is at your command_

_You ain't never had a friend like me_

_Life is your treasure chest_

_And I'm your golden key_

_Come, whisper to me what it is you request_

_You ain't never had a friend like me_

_I'm here to ease your worries_

_It's your word. Your voice. Your call_

_I've got the fire_

_To grant desire_

_So you could potentially have it aaaaaaall_

_Remember your fondest dreams_

_Reality, they could be_

_I'm taking lead_

_To fulfill your need_

_You ain't never had a friend like me_

_Dadada_

_Oh, my_

_Dadada_

_Oh, no_

_Dadada_

_Nanana_

_Hakigachizipah_

_Can your friends do this_

_Can your friends do that_

_Can your friends pull this_

_OUT THEIR LITTLE HAAAAAAAAT_

_AND CAN YOUR FRIENDS GO, BAM_

_Whoa, what a rush_

_Do your friends have the hocus pocus to simply think_

_And give you all a Midas toooouuuuuch_

_So don't just waste time gawking in awe_

_I was summoned with a job to fulfill_

_Just follow the fundamental Genie law_

_And I'll gladly follow your will_

_I got a powerful urge to listen close_

_So tell me what it is you want in your lap_

_You got a trillion wishes I suppose_

_Well just rub, wish, and then I'll snaaaaaaap_

_CALLUM, EZRAN, AND RAYLA_

_WISH AHEAD! FEEL FREE_

_I'M AT YOUR BECK_

_SO WHAT THE HECK_

_YOU AIN'T NEVER HAD A FRIEND_

_NEVER HAD A FRIEND_

_YOU AIN'T NEVER HAD A FRIEND_

_NEVER HAD A FRIEND_

_YOU AIN'T NEVER_

_HAD A_

_FRIIIIIIIEEEEEEND LIIIIIIIIIKE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE_

_DADADA_

_HAHAHA_

_YOU AIN'T NEVER HAD A FRIEND LIKE ME_

_HA_"

When the song was over, Genie was left with a cheap, neon sign that said "Applause". Callum, Ezran, and Rayla were still stunned by the song.

"Right." Callum said to break the silence. "So… How does it work?"

Genie was caught off guard with a confused look. "You're kidding right? The song was the instructions! Okay, obviously, you kids can't dance and listen at the same time, so I'll just simplify it. Step one: rub the lamp. Step two: make a wish. Step three: watch me work my magic. That's it."

"You could have just said that from the start." Rayla said.

"If I did, it'd be the shortest song ever." Genie said.

"So you can give us whatever we wish for?" Ezran asked.

"Almost." Genie said with a dopey-looking face (Apologies, but I don't know the reference). "There are a few addendums, a little quid pro quo."

"Like what?" Callum asked.

"Rule number one: I can't kill anything." Genie comically popped off his own head before putting it back on his neck. "Rule number two: I can't make anyone fall in love with someone else. Trust me, that would lead to all sorts of social problems. Rule number three…" His skin changed to green and slimy while he talked in an Igor voice. "I can't bring people back from the dead. It's not a pretty picture. I don't like doing it!" He then changed back to normal. "I've got a couple other limits, but those are my three most basic ones. Other than that, you got it."

"Then… this is perfect." Ezran said. "Hey, Genie, we're trying to get to Xadia, but it's a long walk."

"I think I see what you're getting at." Callum said. "Do you think you can get us to the Dragon Queen?"

"Sure. Easy peasy." Genie responded. "Just rub the lamp, say 'I wish', and we'll all be in Xadia before you can even blink."

"All?" Rayla asked under her breath.

Ezran grabbed the lamp and gave it a little rub. "Genie, I wish…"

"WAIT! DON'T!" Rayla shouted.

Ezran stopped immediately looking at Rayla with everyone else.

"Hey, you're kinda wish-blocking me here." Genie said. "What's up?"

"We can't wish to go to Xadia!" Rayla said.

"Why not?" Callum asked. "We're supposed to go there."

"Ezran, the egg." Rayla said.

The young prince knew what she meant. He reached into his bag and pulled out the dragon egg. The sight of it made Genie gasp.

"No way! Avizandum's a papa?" Genie asked cheerfully. "Mazel tov!" He then stopped himself with a concerned look. "Oh, wait. I think I see the problem."

"What problem?" Callum asked. "You said all we had to do was rub the lamp and wish for it."

"Well, I can take you kids to Xadia," Genie said, "But the egg's gotta be left behind."

"What? Why?" Ezran asked.

"It's one of the genie limits." Rayla said. "Centuries ago, genies and dragons were in a conflict with each other over which race had more power. The dragons had raw, destructive capabilities while the genies could easily bend reality if their master wishes. It would have escalated into a full on magical war. But the dragon king and the genie king then came to an agreement. To ensure they won't destroy each other, both races were given a magical seal that prevents them from using their magic on each other."

"Meaning no matter how much you ask, my magic can't touch that egg." Genie explained. "If I touch it with one of my creations, what I created would disappear. If I try to teleport it, the egg stays where it is."

"But this is an emergency." Callum said. "There's a war happening and returning this egg is the only way to stop it."

"It doesn't matter." Genie said. "I couldn't break the seal if I wanted to. If you want to make your wishes, you can't include the egg."

"So… what now?" Ezran asked.

"Good question." Callum said. Suddenly, an idea popped in his head. "Hey, Genie, what happens if all three of us want our wishes?"

"Well, I suppose you could share the wishes and each get three." Genie said. Suddenly, a class chalkboard poofed behind him with a basic multiplication problem of 3x3. "That's nine in total by the way."

"Then this is perfect." Callum said. "Look, we still got a long walk to Xadia. Obviously, we might run into some problems on the way. Storms, banther attacks, bandits. All we gotta do is use a wish to overcome them."

"The journey could be enough for nine wishes." Rayla said.

"What do you think, Genie?" Ezran asked.

"Hey, it's your lamp, kids." Genie said. "What you decide to do with it is your own business. If you need me, you know what to do." And with that, he turned back into smoke and disappeared into his lamp.

"Well," Rayla said. "Now, we have a genie. This should be interesting."

"I like him." Ezran said. "He's funny."

"We'll talk about it in the morning." Callum said. "Right now, we should rest."

One thing was for certain, the journey to Xadia and toward peace just became a lot more magical.

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Another chapter that was shorter than I thought. Hopefully, now that the Genie's involved, that will no longer be the case. I've been reading up on all your comments about which Genie to use (cartoon or Will Smith), and I have made my decision. While the Will Smith version does fit better with the serious tone the Dragon Prince has sometimes, I still want more Genie funnies that are from the cartoon because they are a lot more plentiful. So I have decided to use a mixture of both. He can be the cartoon Genie when he is in his blue form and Will Smith when he is human. Thank you all for your input. Any and all comments are welcome._


	4. The First Wish

**Author's Note: **_So I had to change the plot of this little bit to fit with the Genie's part. That's why I had to give it a different name of the chapter. And as for the song here: it is a parody of "In the Dark of the Night" from Anastasia. Just imagine it in a female cover. You'll see why. Hope you like it. Any and all comments are welcome._

* * *

According to tradition, when the king of Katolis dies, his subjects are given seven days to mourn. After that, they'd cremate his body and hold his funeral. However, this funeral was different. Viren, the court mage, decided to hold the funeral right after King Harrow was declared dead. The royal advisor, Opelli, was against the idea, but Viren said that the spark of war forced him to hold the funeral immediately.

The royal guards carried Harrow's body through the capital city and outside of the limits. During the walk, Soren yawned next to his sister who had Iago on her shoulder.

"Stay awake." Claudia said.

"Sorry. Long night."

"I bet." Iago said.

"Hey, where were you?" Soren asked. "The elves attacked, and you stayed cooped up in your room.

"What could I have possibly done? Talk them to death?" Iago asked. "Don't get cranky at me, bucko."

"Here, maybe this will help." Claudia offered two small cups of a brown drink with steam coming out. "I call it… hot brown morning potion."

"That seems a bit of a mouthful." Iago said taking the drink. "But as long as it's not made from me, I'll take it."

When they reached the edge of a rocky cliff, the guards placed Harrow's body on a high pedestal. Viren turned to address the crowd that gathered.

"Tonight, we have faced a great loss." Viren declared. "Our beloved king… has fallen. Taken by the threat of Xadia. Vile Moonshadow elves! King Harrow was more than just a king to me. In his final hours, he called me… his brother."

"Hold on." Opelli said. "Where are the princes? They need to be here?"

With a sullen face, Viren answered. "The princes… are dead."

Most of the crowd was shocked and terrified. Viren ordered for the body to be burned, but Opelli and the guards put out their flames. Claudia pulled out a spider and crushed it. A beam of fire escaped from her hand as she chanted, and it landed on the body making it explode in fire.

"According to tradition, we are to mourn a fallen king for seven days. Well, tonight, we will mourn sevenfold! We must strike back against this act of hostility now! There will be… a coronation."

"Well, someone surely doesn't hesitate." Iago commented.

* * *

The next morning, Callum was holding his Primal Stone with one hand while drawing in his notebook with the other. The image he was sketching looked identical to the Primal Stone.

"Callum. Hey, Callum."

Callum only now noticed that Rayla was trying to talk to him. "Huh?"

"That's your name isn't it? Callum? Or is it Clem? Camel?"

"It's Callum. Sorry. I was just sketching this."

"A Primal Stone, eh? That's pretty rare."

"Still trying to figure out what it means. All I know is that it has a primal spirit inside."

"It's Primal Source." Rayla corrected. She then borrowed Callum's notebook and drew six different symbols. "You see, there are six original sources of magic: sun, moon, the stars, ocean, earth, and…" She pointed at the stone.

"The sky." Callum guessed.

"Yes. As long as you're connected to it, you will be able to use the full force of sky magic."

"Nice. Hey, hope you don't mind, but I gotta talk to Genie." Callum reached into his bag for the lamp and gave it a good rub on the side. Genie flew out working on a newspaper crossover.

"Hey, guys, what's a seven-letter word for a hit streaming program starting with N and ending with X?" he asked.

"Genie, I have a few questions." Callum said.

"Might as well. I never finish these things." The newspaper disappeared in Genie's hand. "What's up?"

"You said your last master was my dad, King Harrow."

"Yep. I don't really know all the circumstances, but he found my lamp, I explained the rules, and he only made one wish."

"Just one?" Rayla asked.

"Well, he said there was no other wish I could grant that would satisfy him, so he decided to keep me on standby until he needed me." Genie explained.

"What did he wish for?" Callum asked.

"He wanted me to fertilize his crop and grow a whole bunch of food for him."

"Oh." Callum said. "So that's how."

"That's how what?" Rayla asked.

"When I was younger, a terrible famine hit a neighboring kingdom." Callum explained. "They went to the king for help, and he shared so much, both kingdoms were beginning to starve. He then found a way to regrow our food. I never figured out how though, until today."

"That must have been a hard time." Rayla said.

"You have no idea." Callum replied. He then looked at the symbols Rayla drew in his notebook and a thought flashed in his eyes. "Wait a minute, I've seen those symbols before."

"Come again for the blue man." Genie said.

"At the Banther Lodge." Callum said. "There was a cube with those symbols on the side. Maybe it's magic or something. We should go one by and pick it up."

"What?" Rayla asked in surprise. "No! Remember, we have a mission. Return the egg. Stop the war."

"You said Xadia's at the east." Callum said. "So is the Banther Lodge. It's on the way."

"Oh, yeah. And it's sure to be full of angry humans who are looking for you and want to kill me. Yay!" Rayla said sarcastically.

"It's the winter lodge. That means there are no humans there."

"Well, if there are no wishes to be granted, I should probably get back to enjoying my Sunday." Genie turned back into smoke that flew back into the lamp.

* * *

It took some convincing, but Callum was able to talk Rayla into taking him and Ezran to the Banther Lodge. Rayla proceeded to open an upstairs window and enter. That's when Callum and Ezran realized something. Since they were supposed to head to the lodge, it would be unusual for guards to be there. And right at that moment, royal guards from the border approached them, including…

"Aunt Amaya." Ezran greeted.

Amaya used hand signals while her companion, Gren, translated. (**Author's note:** _I will be writing it as if Amaya's saying it herself._)

"It is good to see you boys again."

"Yeah, good to see you too." Callum said.

Amaya looked up and saw an open window. She had a suspicious look on her face and proceeded to the front door. Callum jumped in front of her fearing she would find Rayla.

"Wait! The… door is locked. So why don't you wait for a second or a minute or… however long it takes and I'll find a key."

Amaya grabbed Callum and pulled him aside. She then raised her foot and violently kicked the door so hard, the doors flew from their hinges.

"I don't believe in locks." Amaya said.

Callum and Ezran did their best to distract their aunt. If she knew that Rayla was in the lodge, she'd kill her on the spot.

Meanwhile, Rayla went into a room on the top floor trying to avoid the guards.

"'_It's the winter lodge, Rayla. No winter means no humans._'" She imitated Callum. She went through the table on the side of the room and found what she came for. It was a cube object. On each side was a different symbol for a primal source. Rayla didn't know what it was, but it wasn't important to her. Now, the hard part was trying to leave the lodge past all the guards.

"Are they gone?"

"How would I know?"

Rayla froze when she heard two different voices. She looked, but didn't see anyone in the room.

"Just stick your head out and check, Haroud."

"I'm not risking getting caught, sir."

"Then what do I pay you for?"

"I'd hardly call that paying me."

Rayla followed the arguing voices across the room. She searched every square inch, but found no sign of life. She had no idea that there was a closet door that looked just like the wall opening slowly behind her. Out came two men who had no idea of Rayla's existence since they had their backs to hers.

One was a tall, thin, dark-skinned man wearing a turban while the other man was shorter, chubbier, and had a twisted beard. They heard metal feet patrolling downstairs and tooka few steps back. Rayla, still cautious about the sound she heard, took a few steps back as well. They stopped right before they were able to touch each other.

The men took a step to their sides to turn. Coincidently enough, Rayla did the same in the other direction. When they turned, they had no idea of each other's existence. That is, until the tall man broke the silence with a soft whisper that Rayla could hear.

"I think we're safe, sir."

"WHOA!" Rayla shouted as she jumped around and pointed her swords at the two men she discovered.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" The chubby man screamed his lungs out when he and his accomplice finally noticed the elf. In a panic, he pulled out a sword and wildly swung it. He got lucky enough to cut off a strand of her hair. Rayla overheard a bunch of metal footsteps approaching the room. On instinct, she leaped up to the rafters and hid herself.

The door slammed open and four men in armor approached the two surprised men while pointing their spears.

"Uh… this isn't what it looks like." The chubby man said.

The soldiers dragged the two men to the lobby right in front of the general. Both Callum and Ezran were confused upon seeing this.

"We caught these two hiding upstairs, ma'am." One guard said.

"I recognize one of them." Amaya signed. "That's the wanna-be bandit, Abis Mal."

"Wanna-be?" the chubby man asked. "I'll have you know that I committed quite a few felonies. I…"

"Stop, sir." The thin man interrupted. "Don't confess your crimes."

"Oh, you're such a worrywart, Haroud." Abis Mal said.

"Are the two of you aware that you've trespassed on royal property?" Amaya asked.

"To be fair, no." Abis Mal said. "Look, you don't want us. You should be looking for the elf."

"The elf?" Amaya asked. Callum and Ezran changed from worried to panicked.

"Yes, there's a Moonshadow elf hiding in this cabin." Haroud said. "If you hurry, you can catch her before she kills someone."

Amaya gestured her guards to search the place. She also sent her tracker, Corvus, to patrol the perimeter around the lodge. Callum and Ezran took a step back to the wall to talk privately.

"This isn't good." Ezran said. "Maybe we should just tell Aunt Amaya the truth about Rayla and the egg."

"Ez, we can't." Callum said. "Aunt Amaya hates elves, especially Moonshadow elves. We need to get her out."

"How?" Ezran asked.

Suddenly, Callum remembered. He grabbed the brass lamp and gave the side a good rub. Genie's tiny head popped out of the lamp.

"Quite a pickle you've got yourselves in, huh, kids?"

"Genie, I'm ready to make my first wish." Callum said. "I wish for you to send Aunt Amaya, the guards, and those two bandits to… The castle."

"Got it!" Genie shot hit entire body out of the lamp and right in front of the guards.

"What is this?" Amaya started to ask.

"Sorry, everybody, but I've got a wish to fulfill." Genie said. "For my next trick… bibbity, bobbity, boo!"

Blue twirls of smoke surrounded the guards and bandits covering their entire bodies. When the smoke cleared, they weren't there anymore. Rayla came out of hiding while Genie took a bow.

"Thank you. Thank you." Genie declared. "I'm here 'til Thursday. Try the veal."

* * *

Viren was getting ready with the guards by his side in the throne room. When the sun set, he will wear the royal crown and declare himself the new king of Katolis. He couldn't help but feel a little bit of pride in himself.

Suddenly, right before everyone, blue smoke exploded in the middle of the room. Everyone took a step back while Amaya, Gren, Abis Mal, Haroud, and most of Amaya's guards appeared from inside the blue smoke with the most confused faces. Abis Mal and Haroud tried to escape during the confusion, but the guards stopped them in their tracks.

"General Amaya?" Viren asked. "What…"

Amaya saw the people mourning outside and special decorations being set up. She was not happy.

"Viren," she signed, "What is going on here?" And that started toppling down Viren's coronation.

* * *

"Are they at the castle?" Callum asked as soon as they left the lodge.

"That's what you wished for, Cal." Genie answered. "Let's just say everyone in Katolis is going to be very confused."

"Well, here you go." Rayla said tossing the cube to Callum's hand. "Hope it was worth almost getting captured and using up one wish."

"Hey, it wasn't that bad of a wish." Ezran said. "Right, Genie? Hey, that reminds me. Genie, what would you wish for?"

"Me?" Genie asked as if it was the last thing he expected to hear.

"Yeah." Ezran said. "I mean, we need the wishes to get us to the egg's mother. But what about you?"

"Well… this is a first." Genie said. "No one actually asked me what I wanted. Well…" He shook his head. "No. Forget it. It's ridiculous."

"Why?" Callum asked.

"Okay, now, I'm curious." Rayla said.

Genie sighed before confessing. "If I had a wish, I'd use it for freedom."

"Freedom? From what?" Callum asked.

"That tiny sardine can in your hand." Genie said pointing at his own lamp. "You think I like living there? It's a mess."

"Then why…" Ezran asked.

"It's part of the whole genie gig." Genie grew in size, changed red, exploded a booming voice, and summoned a quick storm. "PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS!" He then shrunk into the lamp exposing himself and having a squeaky voice. "Itty, bitty living space."

"I never knew that." Rayla said."

Genie got back out of the lamp with his normal size and normal voice. "Well, there's aren't as many genies these days as there was before, but trust me, this shtick ain't as fun as I make it out to be. If I didn't have to go 'POOF! What do you need? POOF! What do you need? POOF! What do you need?' Well, such a thing would mean more to me than anything else in the world. But to bad that's never going to happen. I lost hope a long time ago."

"Why?" Ezran asked.

"The only way I can be free is if my master uses one of their wishes to free me. Well, you can guess how often that happens."

"You know what?" Ezran asked. "We can do it. We can set you free."

"Yeah, sure." Genie said unenthusiastically. He then changed his head to Pinocchio's with a long nose.

"No, really." Ezran said. "Look, you're going to be helping us. It'll be the least we can do."

"Ez is right." Callum said. "How about this? We get through this journey with our wishes that we make along the way. And once we get to the last wish, we can use it to set you free."

"Wow." Rayla said. "Didn't expect two humans to make that decision like that."

"Me either." Genie said. "Most of my masters use their wishes for selfish reasons. Money. Glory. Conquest. Immortality."

"Well, we're not like those guys." Callum said. "What do you say?"

"Well, what have I to lose?" Genie shook Callum's hand.

"Let's just be careful from here on out." Rayla said. "We may want to get the egg back, but there are a lot of people who'd want this war to go on."

"Like who?" Callum asked.

"I'll explain later." Rayla said.

The Moonshadow elf decided to cover their tracks by (reluctantly) riding on a boat. But unbeknownst to them, a raven stood on top of the lodge watching them leave with the egg in their bag. The raven crowed and disappeared in a flash of light.

Meanwhile, Amaya's best tracker, Corvus, returned to the lodge after he checked the perimeter. Imagine his surprise when he saw the lodge was empty and traces of Moonshadow elf hair on the ground. He realized (or at least thought) that the princes have been kidnapped. He left to track them down.

* * *

In a dark and sinister throne room made of slab and stone, the raven appeared in a flash of light and flew toward a figure sitting on the throne. It crowed silently into her ear, and it made her hiss.

"The Dragon Prince? Alive?" she asked in a sultry voice.

With a wave of her dark-brown paw, a circle appeared. Inside the circle, Callum, Ezran, Rayla, and Genie were seen on their boat. Ezran opened his bag again to see the dragon egg. The very sight of it made the figure angry as she revealed her feline features, including her fangs and green eyes. She wore a ceremonial attire of silk and gold.

"I thought that prideful human would've done the smart thing." She growled. She regained her composure and smiled. "Oh, well. There's still time to correct this oversight before he gets sent back to Zubeia. Only, this time…"

With a wave of her hand, several monsters appeared around her. Whether they stood on four, two, or eight legs. Whether they had claws or weapons. Whether they live in land or sea. Whether they were savage or intelligent. There were monsters of every kind waiting for the word of their mistress, Mirage.

"…Never send a human to do a monster's job.

**Mirage:**

_When the evil arrives, so does the darkness_

_And the monsters all dwell within the shade_

_They make the bravest man scream_

_Then haunt him in his dream_

_And most of those monsters are creatures I made_

_I was born as a natural force of wickedness_

_That's why the dragons call me evil incarnate_

_I vowed to end the royal line_

_But the Dragon Prince is still fine_

_So when I get my claws I'll seal his faaaaaaaaaate_

**Monsters:**

_When the evil arrives, the line will be broken_

_When the evil arrives, there'll be no sun_

**Mirage:**

_I see far beyond_

_When their hope is all gone_

**Monsters:**

_When the evil arrives_

**Mirage:**

_They'll be done_

_I don't care for all the goodness in the world_

_Forget true love and tell peace to take a hike_

_When the egg's smashed to shards_

_I'll be holding all the cards_

_For it's carnage and misery and wars_

_I liiiiiiiiike_

**Monsters:**

_When the evil arrives, darkness will shroud them_

**Mirage:**

_Darkness is a parlor trick to me_

**Monsters:**

_When the evil arrives, terror is born_

**Mirage:**

_Soon, it'll be clear_

_They have so much to fear_

**Monsters:**

_When the evil arrives_

**Mirage:**

_They will mourn_

**Monsters:**

_When the evil arrives, darkness will consume_

_(Consume)_

_When the evil arrives, nightmares begin_

_(Begin)_

**Mirage:**

_Don't hang to your hope_

_It's the end of your rope_

**Monsters:**

_When the evil arrives_

_When the evil arrives_

As soon as Mirage and her legion were outside, she opened up tears in space. The monsters jumped through ready to begin their hunt while their mistress watched.

**Mirage:**

_GO, MY MONSTERS_

_UNLEASH ALL OF YOUR WRATH_

_AWAKEN AND ARISE_

_HUNT THEM DOWN_

_AND RAZE ALL IN YOUR PATH_

**Monsters:**

_WHEN THE EVIL ARRIVES_

_WHEN THE EVIL ARRIVES_

_WHEN THE EVIL ARRIVES_

**Mirage:**

_THE DRAGON PRINCE DIIIIIIIEEEEEEEES_


	5. An Empty Throne

**Author's Note: **_The song featured here is a parody of My Grand Plan from Percy Jackson the Musical._

_Any and all comments are welcome._

* * *

After Callum discovered that the cube he recovered from the Banther Lodge could glow, Rayla left saying she was getting some food. When she reached the top of the cliff, she started the true reason she was there. She took out her blade and slowly slid it underneath the silver band around her wrist. She gave one strong strike… but it didn't break. Rayla sighed and pulled out the magic lamp.

"Well, if all else fails…"

Rayla rubbed the side of the lamp. Genie popped out wearing a safari exploration outfit.

"Can't it wait, Rayla? Spielberg's holding auditions." Suddenly, a T-Rex claw shot out, grabbed Genie, and pulled him back into the lamp. A brawl was heard inside. A second later, Genie returned outside with his outfit torn. "Never mind. I'll wait for the sequel." He removed his ruined clothes. "So what's up?"

"I need your help." Rayla said as she raised her bound wrist. "With this. Do you know what this is?"

"Wow." Genie exclaimed. "That's a Moonshadow assassin's binding. Whoever's bound to it is stuck with it until someone is dead. And if that person's not killed in time…" He let his hand slip off of his wrist. He picked it up and put it back.

"I know what is." Rayla said. "Look, the reason I came to Katolis with my hunting party is to kill the king and Ezran. But after I found the egg, everything changed. But I was already bound hours earlier. I've been trying to find a way to remove it without hurting Ez."

"So you want me to help you remove it?" Genie asked. "Well, just say the magic words and I'll give it a shot."

Rayla picked the lamp back up and rubbed it again. "Genie, I wish for you to remove my binding."

Genie pulled out a pair of scissors and went to the binding. He closed them, but they broke to pieces at the binding. He scratched his head as he pulled out a stick of butter. He rubbed it all over Rayla's wrist, but the band refused to slip off. With no other option, he pulled out a large laser gun which freaked Rayla out.

"Uh, Genie, is that safe?" Rayla asked.

"Don't worry." Genie said.

He pulled the trigger and let the light make impact on the band. When the smoke cleared, Rayla was still standing, but the binding wasn't even scratched.

"Well, this is a new one." Genie said. "Sorry, Rayla, but I don't think I can help with this one."

"Why not?" Rayla asked.

"I can't say for certain," Genie said, "But whatever magic that was used for this is a bit outside of my jurisdiction. You may want something even stronger than me to do it."

Rayla groaned. "Fine. At least I still got three wishes."

"Uh, no, you don't." Genie said. "You got two."

"What?" Rayla asked. "But that last wish didn't work."

"That's not how this works. Remember what I said. No substitutions, exchanges, or refunds. You can't take it back now."

"You can't be serious. You're telling me I just wasted a wish?"

"Hey, I don't write the rules. Believe me, I tried to change them." He then manifested a large book that read "Genie Rules" on the cover. He poked the pages with a pen, but then, an explosion of ink blew in his face. "Something like that. I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to find another way to remove your band or… Hold on." Genie's eyes fixed at the other wrist. "You said you had two targets: Ez and the king. But why is there only one ribbon on you?"

Rayla was really nervous. Realizing she was caught, she sighed. "All right. When we left Katolis, one of my ribbons fell off. That's when I learned…"

Genie was able to interpret the rest. "Oh, my. That's dark. How are the boys taking it?"

"Actually…"

"Wait. They don't know? This is big stuff. You gotta tell them."

"No, I can't. Not right now. This is a very bad time to."

"Rayla, their dad is dead."

"I know, but I'm waiting for the right time to tell them. Just promise me you won't tell them. Please."

Genie was reluctant, but how could he refuse. "All right. I won't tell them… but you should."

"HELP! HEEEEELP!"

Callum's cry echoed across the forest. As if on cue, Rayla and Genie jumped to the voice's direction. They returned to the camp. Rayla equipped her blades while the Genie came in with rows and rows of guns, missile launchers, and a flower that squirts water. But they had no idea what they were witnessing.

Ezra hid behind a log while Callum stood with the Primal Stone in his hand. His empty hand was shooting bolts of lightning around the clearing uncontrollably.

"What's going on?" Rayla asked.

"He tried to copy Claudia's lightning spell!" Ezran said. "But he doesn't know how to stop it!"

"Yeah, I only saw her do the first half, and I'm great at the first half!"

"Why couldn't you just play tic-tac-to like every other kid?" Genie asked as he put away his guns and flower.

"Okay, look." Rayla said. "When you release a spell, there's usually a word or phrase in Draconic language. Did Claudia say anything?"

"Well… I think she called me a fool when I took the Primal Stone from her."

"She might be right about that." Rayla shot. "Genie, do you know what to say?"

"Sorry, Rayla." Genie said. "Kinda flunked out of dragon speak class."

After a moment, Callum had an idea, a stupid one. "You know what? I'm just gonna throw the stone."

"WHAT? NO!" Rayla shouted. "Don't throw it!"

Callum and Rayla spent a moment discussing about throwing it. In the end, Callum didn't listen to Rayla's warnings and tossed it. Rayla jumped out of the way, and the Primal Stone landed in Genie's hands.

"Uh, oh!"

Suddenly, the orb shot out a wave of lightning. When the smoke cleared, Genie was covered in soot and had an open duck bill on the back of his head. He closed the bill with his hands and repositioned it over his own mouth. He passed the orb back to Callum with an angry glare escaping his eyes.

"You're despicable."

Callum laughed nervously. "Sorry about that. I'm just so excited about learning magic, I got a little carried away."

"Well, if we're done almost killing each other," Rayla said, "We gotta get going. Time to hit the road."

"Road?" Callum asked. "Why? I mean, we've got a boat."

"No." Rayla answered. "Say goodbye to the boat. We go by land from now on."

"But why?" Callum asked. "The river's going in the same direction, and it's a lot faster too. We need a break from all the walking we've done so far."

"We're walking and that's final." Rayla insisted giving her own glare.

"Whoa." Genie said. "If looks could kill…" His eyes changed into X's and he fell over backwards.

"Is there another reason you don't want to take the boat?" Callum asked. "Something you're not telling us."

"No, there's no secret reason." Rayla said quickly.

"So wait. Let me get this straight." Callum said. "Are you like this fierce, backflipping, sword-stabbing elven warrior… but scared of a little water?"

"Awww. That's cute." Ezran commented.

"It is kinda adorable." Genie giggled.

"Fine! We'll take the stupid boat!" Rayla stomped toward the boat.

"Hey, kids," Genie said, "Do you mind if I ride along with you? I kinda need a break from that cramped lamp."

"Sure thing, Genie." Ezran said.

* * *

In the throne room, Viren, Iago and Captain Amaya (with Grenn translating her sign language) were in an argument.

"How could you let this happen, Viren?"

"You speak as if I invited these assassins." Viren said. "I did everything I could to help King Harrow. I was willing to give my own life."

"Didn't you hesitate?" Iago asked.

"I changed my mind." Viren said. "While you were roosting in the study, I was offering my life to be sacrificed in King Harrow's stead."

"Don't be touchy." Iago said.

"If you were willing to die, then why are you here?" Amaya asked. "What went wrong?"

"What do you think?" Viren asked like it was obvious. "King Harrow wouldn't let me. He wouldn't even hear me out. He was too stubborn to accept my help. You know him as well as I do; his pride was more important than his own life."

"You wanted this outcome." Amaya accused.

"How dare you suggest…"

"His death creates opportunity for you!"

"His death breaks my heart!"

"Then honor him. Find his sons. That blue creature didn't give any indication of where he came from, but he didn't bring the boys with us. They're out there, and if those bandits we brought to your dungeon were telling the truth, they're with a Moonshadow elf too."

"Then they're already dead. If they're not already dead, they will be soon. We need to look to the future. We've got an empty throne, and it's a beacon of weakness. An invitation to destroy us. We must defend our kingdom at any cost from the great threat that's coming. I know you think I'm being an opportunist, Amaya, but I couldn't be more selfless in my motivation. I am a servant of Katolis. I am a servant!"

"Those are awfully nice clothes for a humble servant, Viren." Amaya signed.

"She's got you there." Iago said. Viren gave him a deathly look which made him chuckle nervously. "I better go." He hovered up and flew out of the throne room.

* * *

Rayla gripped the deck of the boat trying to fight against what makes her sick. Meanwhile, Callum kept rowing while Ezran was trying to keep Bait from dipping his tail in the water and Genie was sleeping. The last guy woke up suddenly with Jeopardy lights around him.

"I'll take Cartoon Characters for 200, Alex!"

"Hey, are you doing all right." Callum asked the elf.

"Oh, I'm dandy." Rayla said. "I love the boat. That's why I'm like this. I want to be very close."

"Hopefully, not too close." Genie said. "Otherwise, we're gonna have some issues."

"I'll tell you what." Callum said. "I'll ask you five questions. It'll be fun distraction.

"Ugh. Fine." Rayla said. "But just five."

"Okay. Question one. We always heard all these crazy things about Xadia. Like it was this place with magic everywhere. Is that really what it's like?"

"Yes. In Xadia, magic is pretty much in everything. It's no different from saying that everywhere you look, there's nature. It's just part of the vibrancy or spirit of things."

"That sounds incredible. I can't wait to see it." Callum said. "What about you, Genie? You ever been to Xadia."

"A few times." Genie said. "It's pretty much what Rayla said."

"Nice." Callum said. "Okay, Rayla. Next question. What are your parents like?"

Rayla's smile quickly faded. She turned away and answered sullenly.

"They're dead."

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean…"

"It's fine."

Callum looked ahead of the boat, and widened his eyes in fear. "Uh, Rayla. Just asking, are you sure you're not afraid of the water?"

"I'm done with questions." Rayla said.

"I know. It's just…The water's… LOOK!"

Rayla turned where Callum was pointing, and gasped as she saw the river ahead becoming rapids.

"We're going to need a bigger boat." Genie commented.

"Pull the boat over!" Rayla demanded in fear.

"There's not time!" Callum said gripping the side of the boat.

"Pull over now!" Rayla insisted as she ducked deep in the boat. "I admit it! I hate the water! I'm afraid of it! It makes me sick! All the bad feelings!"

It was too late. The boat took a sudden shift down, then left, then right, then over a rock.

"Genie!" Callum shouted.

"Can't help!" Genie said. "Rub the lamp, make the wish, then I will! Til then, my hands are tied!" He held up his fingers which were tied to each other in knots.

Callum tried to reach the lamp, but the bumps from the rapids jolted the lamp around before anyone could catch it.

* * *

The Valley of Graves had a magnificent statue of the fallen queen, Sarai. General Amaya stopped to visit it to pay her respects. Viren and Iago came shortly after to do the same.

"You know," Iago said, "I never actually met her. I was still an egg when… Well, you know. What was she like?"

"Queen Sarai made the king better." Viren answered. "He told me he was never as strong or brave as Sarai believed him to be, but he tried every day to be stronger and braver so her could live up to what she saw in him."

Amaya nodded before signing. "She was so compassionate and patient… unless you took the last jelly tart."

"I only made that mistake once." Viren chuckled.

"A sweet tooth and iron fist."

"Wow." Iago said. "Sounds like his highness chose one of the great ones."

"He did." Viren said. "Look, General Amaya, I'm sorry for what happened in the throne room. You helped me see the truth."

"And why was that so hard?"

"I was blinded by my love for our kingdom and humanity itself."

"Yeah, sure." Iago thought sarcastically to himself.

"Guard, fetch the stable boy quickly." Amaya commanded her translator. "I've encountered a big pile of bull…" The guard stopped himself. "Droppings."

Viren smirked as he acknowledged the general's joke. "You were right. The princes come first. Finding them is our top priority."

"Good." Amaya said. "I'll be departing to search for them at sundown."

"Of course. But allow me to ask. What happens to the Breath? I've heard the situation there is quite precarious. Without you commanding the forces, the border might fall. If that happens, I can only imagine death and destruction will follow."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"You return to the border. Hold it fast. You're needed there. A party of our best will be dispatched immediately to find the princes. And in case you still doubt my intentions, I will task the expedition lead to Soren, Claudia, and Iago."

"Wait, Soren, Claudia, and who?" Iago asked. "Is there another Iago? I know you're not talking about me."

"We'll discuss this later." Viren said.

"No need, Lord Viren." Amaya said. "I do doubt your intentions. I will return to the Breath, but your children and parrot won't lead the rescue. The mission will be assigned to…" The translator stopped himself when he understood the last bit. "Commander Gren. That's… That's me. I'm Commander Gren."

"Better that guy than me." Iago said.

* * *

Of course, later on, right after Amaya leaves, Viren changes the plan. He announced that Soren, Claudia, and Iago will look for the princes and had Gren chained up in the dungeon not too far from Runaan's cell.

* * *

At the end of the rapids, the boat stopped in the middle of a large lake. Everyone slowly recovered from the experience.

"So you faced your fear." Callum said to Rayla. "Do you feel better about the water now?"

"I have never felt worse about the water."

"Sorry I couldn't be much help, guys." Genie said.

"It's okay, Genie." Ezran said. "Wait, Callum. Your thing…"

Callum reached into his bag and pulled out his cube. A rune on one of the sides was glowing.

"Hey, that's the Ocean rune." Callum said. "But why would the Ocean rune glow when there's…"

Callum's question was answered immediately when a great, but river monster shot its head out of the water making everyone fly out of the boat.

The princes, Bait, and Genie landed downstream while Rayla landed on the shore. She looked ahead and saw the monster swimming towards Bait. She tried to call out his predicament, but they couldn't hear her. Frustrated, she had no choice but to jump to the river and land on a floating log.

Rayla pushed herself right at the monster's face. She hooked her blades on the monster's leather and hung on as it tried to shake her off. Meanwhile, her friends managed to make it to the shore.

"Maybe now's a good time for a wish." Ezran said.

Callum was about to rub Genie's lamp, but then, an idea popped in his head. "Hold on. I got a better idea than just wasting a wish." He exchanged the lamp for the Primal Stone. He traced his finger and made the rune he needed to shoot lightning out of his hands uncontrollably.

"Whoa, I ain't playing Hot Potato with that spark bomb again!" Genie said.

"You don't have to!" Callum said. "Rayla, jump now!"

With no other choice, Rayla released her swords and jumped back to dry land. Meanwhile, Callum dunked his electrified hand into the water. The electricity quickly shot through and made complete impact with the sea monster. It fell back into the water unconscious.

"That was amazing!" Ezran said as he showed gratitude to Rayla. "You saved Bait!"

Their celebration didn't last long however. At that moment, the water pulsed. The sea monster emerged again, and this time, something was different about it. It roared as reptilian claws shot out of its sides. It crawled its way to dry land finally embracing it.

"Uh, do sea monsters normally do that?" Callum asked in disbelief.

"No, they do not." Rayla answered sharing his expression.

The sea monster's eyes changed red as they were aimed right at the kids. It roared in monstrous thunder and started running towards them.

"Wish now?" Genie asked.

"Wish now." Rayla agreed. She took the lamp and rubbed its side quickly. "I wish we'd lose this thing!"

"ON IT!" Genie snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the kids found themselves on a roller coaster cart. "Please remain steady and keep your arms and legs in so they won't be bitten off."

With Genie at the driver's seat, the cart dashed into the forest. The monster followed. The chase eventually lead to the cart entering a tunnel that cuts through the mountain. The monster saw it too and followed their trail. It was about to enter the tunnel… but it turned out to be a fake. The monster hit its head and fell over unconscious again. Genie and the others showed up again. The big, blue man grabbed the side of the tunnel image and rolled it up in paper.

"Watch a cartoon every once in a while."

"What happened there?" Callum asked.

"I have no idea." Rayla said. "Even Xadia doesn't have sea monsters that could do that."

"Well, I don't think it'll bother us anymore." Callum said. "By the way, thanks for saving Bait, Rayla. That was really brave."

"No." Rayla said. "I already told you, I'm afraid of the water."

"That's why what you did was so heroic." Callum explained. "Why didn't you just tell us you were afraid of the water?"

"I guess… I was just afraid of being afraid."

"That's kind of circular. But worth noting: you're not afraid of being afraid of being afraid."

"You get that?" Ezran asked.

"Afraid not." Genie said.

Rayla sighed. "The thing is, Moonshadow elves aren't supposed to show fear. It may sound sad, but it's our way."

"Is it really that big a deal?" Ezran asked. "I mean, feelings are feelings."

"It's more than that." Rayla took a deep breath before admitting something. "My parents aren't really dead, but I wish they were. They're cowards."

"What do you mean?" Callum asked.

"My parents were part of an elite force, the Dragonguard."

"No way!" Genie gasped. "Your parents were in the Dragonguard?"

"What's the Dragonguard?" Callum asked.

"You see, storm dragon eggs are lain every thousands years, give or take a century. So when they do, the dragons choose some elite elves to protect it."

"And my parents were among them." Rayla continued. "But when the humans came and killed the Dragon King, the Dragonguard failed in their duty. They ran. All of them, including my parents. I'm so ashamed of them."

"Sorry." Callum said as he shook his head. "Sorry for what humans did. Sorry for everything."

"That's why I have to make things right. When I first left Xadia, it was for revenge. But after seeing that egg, everything changed. Now, this is for redemption.

"_I was always a special elf_

_An assassin without a kill record_

_Always a special elf_

_Not one drop of blood on my sword_

_I give my heart for Xadia_

_For the honor that was lost_

_I should've been more prepared_

_But I underestimated the cost_

_One last chance_

_To fix what has been broken_

_One last chance_

_To right this wrong_

_Calm and steady_

_Now, I'm ready_

_Ready for anything_

_So I'll hande any challenge proud and strong_

_My parents had their duty_

_To protect the future of our land_

_But they failed their duty_

_They saw adversity and just ran_

_They brught dishonor to our line_

_They left me with so much shame_

_But if I help return this egg_

_Then I'll restore my name_

_One last chance_

_To fix what has been broken_

_One last chance_

_To right this wrong_

_Calm and steady_

_Now, I'm ready_

_Ready for anything_

_So I'll handle any challenge proud and strong_

_So I never took an innocent life_

_And I fought the man who taught me_

_And I'm traveling with all of you_

_WHEN YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY ENEMY_

_Now, I seeeeeeeee_

_I have one last chance_

_To fix what has been broken_

_One last chance_

_To right this wrong_

_Calm and steady_

_Now, I'm ready_

_READY FOR ANYTHING_

_ALL THAT'S IN THE PAST_

_MY LIFE IS CHANGING FAST_

_SO BRING THE NEXT CHALLENGES AND UNTIL THE VERY LAST_

_I'LL HANDLE THEM PROUD AND…_

_Stroooooooooong_

_I will fulfill my duty_"

Callum placed a hand on Rayla's shoulder. The elf smiled back.

"Oh, that's beautiful." Genie commented. "Well, when you're done, let's get cracking! We've got an egg to return, six more wishes to make on the way, and several songs to fit in on the way."

"Six?" Callum thought to himself. He thought back to the first wish to get rid of Amaya and her guards. His mind then went to the wish that Rayla made a minute earlier. "When did we make a third?"

"_I gotta keep it together._" Rayla thought to herself as she gripped her sore wrist. "_I've already wasted a wish trying to get this stupid ribbon off. After that thing with the sea monster, I can only make one wish left. I need to time it perfectly. Still, I can't help but wonder where that sea monster…_"

Rayla's eyes turned to the unconscious monster they defeated, and they widened when she caught something on its hide: a black emblem shaped similarly to the letter M.

"_No._" Her mind was filled with fear. "_Could it be? Is Mirage onto us? Then… How…_" Her mind was flooding with fearful questions, but on the outside she kept an indifferent smile hoping that she was wrong.

Obviously, she wasn't.


	6. Through the Ice

**Author's Note: **_The song featured here is a parody of Both of You from Steven Universe. Of the songs I had planned, I realized I didn't have one for Ezran, so I had to find one to parody from. I think I did fine here. Hope you feel the same way._

_Any and all comments are welcome._

* * *

**Snap!**

The sound of a tree branch breaking woke Rayla up from her light sleep. She wasn't getting much sleep since her ribbon kept tightening on her wrist, but the snap she heard alerted her.

Rayla took her blades while Callum and Ezran were sleeping and sneaked out of the camp. She was careful with each step she took. Then, she let her guard down when a deer came out of the bushes. She thought that was it, but then, a large net descended from above nearly snatching her. She dodged out of the way and a man standing above her. It was Captain Amaya's tracker, Corvus, swinging his bladed chain around.

"Never trapped an elf before." He commented. "This is going to be easier than I thought."

Corvus threw his chain at Rayla, but the young elf dodged. She climbed up the trees with Corvus giving chase. They jumped from one branch to another trying to gain the advantage.

"Give me the boys and I'll let you live!" Corvus offered. "Release your prisoners!"

"They're not my prisoners!" Rayla corrected. "They chose to travel with me!"

"What?" Corvus asked. "Why would they trust you?"

"Because we're in this together!" Rayla tried to explain. "They're my friends now!"

"Friends?" Corvus asked. "Am I missing something? You killed their father!"

"I didn't kill anyone!"

"You're leader did! What's the difference?"

Suddenly, Rayla lost her footing. When she tried to swing on a tree branch, she was using her bound hand which stung painfully when she tried to grip it. She then found herself dangling from another tree branch with her other hand. Corvus landed above her.

"Wait. They don't know, do they?" he realized. "When they find out, they'll hate you!"

"Shut up!" Rayla shot.

Corvus raised his chain to continue the fight… until a roar was heard. Both he and Rayla turned to see the source. Suddenly, a furry tentacle shot through the trees and wrapped itself around one. Another tentacle wrapped around another tree. In just a few moments, a squid with fur was revealed with razor-sharp teeth.

"What is that?" Corvus asked.

"If I had to guess," Rayla said, "I'd say it's a squion!"

"But they're supposed to be in the water!" Corvus said. "And they don't have fangs! How is this possible?"

Rayla examined the animal and caught sight of the demonic M insignia on it. She jumped up to avoid its suddeny strike which Corvus didn't see coming. He fell out of the tree and down the hill. Rayla countered the squion by heading to one of its other tentacles and slashed at it. The beast couldn't hold onto its grip any longer and plummeted to the ground.

Rayla looked down the hill to see Corvus in the distance.

"Savor your lucky break, elf!" he called out. "Next time, you won't get away!"

"Says the guy in the ditch!" Rayla returned. She then sprinted back toward camp.

* * *

When Ezran woke up, he noticed that Rayla wasn't anywhere to be found. He shook his brother's shoulder and woke him up.

"Huh?" Callum had an entrancing dream about Claudia, so he was confused. "What is it?"

"It's Rayla. She's missing." Ezran answered.

"Oh, no!" Callum asked as he kept turning. "Did she take it?"

"No. The egg's still here." Ezran said as he opened his bag to reveal the dragon egg.

"Oh, good." Callum sighed in relief. "But that doesn't mean we can trust her."

"But I like her, Callum." Ezran said.

"Yeah, I like her too, but the thing is, she's…"

"And ef? Who cares? It seems like maybe everything we ever heard about elves is wrong."

"It's not that. She's not telling us everything. Remember what Genie said the other day. He said we had six wishes remaining in total. I made the first wish and Rayla made the second. But what about the third? Did you make a wish, Ez?"

"No."

"Right. Well, I didn't either. Rayla must have made a wish and didn't tell us."

"Well, if that's the case, maybe we can ask Genie. He's behind me playing chess with Bait."

"He's what?" Callum asked.

Ezran was right. At the side of the camp, Genie was sitting over a floating chess board with Bait on the other side.

"So move." Genie said impatiently. Bait whipped out his tongue and moved a chess piece in a maneuver that left Genie stunned. "I… That's a good move." He then materialized a tie that he pulled and gave a derpy face. "I can't believe it. I'm losing to an amphibian."

"Hey, Genie." Callum called out. "We gotta talk. The other day, when you were counting wi…"

Before Callum could finish, Rayla rushed in to grab her bags. She was looking both impatient and afraid.

"Go, go, go. We've got to move."

"Where were you?" Callum asked. Rayla didn't answer.

"We should really eat something before we go." Ezran said. "We haven't had breakfast yet."

"There's no time to eat." Rayla said. "We've got to get moving now."

"But why?" Callum asked. "You have to at least explain…"

"I don't have to explain anything to you!" Rayla interrupted. "Let's go!"

"Whoa." Genie shuttered. "If looks could kill…" He saluted, changed his eyes to X's and fell backwards stiffly.

Without much argument, everyone packed their gear and moved on.

* * *

Iago tried to hide with the best of his ability, but he couldn't stay hidden forever. Viren found him perched on the balcony right outside the royal bedchambers.

"Oh, nuts!" Iago sighed.

"Iago, I assume you know why I need to talk to you." Viren guessed.

"Unfortunately, yes. You want me to go with Soren and Claudia to find the princes. But you're kinda missing the part where I don't want to."

"Iago, this mission is for the good of Katolis. The outcome of this search will determine the very fate of not just us, but all five human kingdoms."

"Which is very noble coming from the guy who's officially chosen to find the princes…" Viren rolled his eyes when he was reminded of Gren, who was still in the dungeon. "But did you miss the part where they're with a moonshadow elf and a big, blue giant?"

"Soren and Claudia are more than capable of handling the elf. As for the blue giant, that's where you come in."

"Say what now?"

"Based on General Amaya's description of the creature, the boys have come across a genie. They're a very rare, but very powerful race of magical spirits just as strong as dragons. They are magically bound to grant the wishes of anyone who finds them. Several years ago, King Harrow and I went on an expedition to find a lamp that sealed such a genie. It worked, but King Harrow said the genie and his lamp had to vanish after granting one wish."

"That doesn't make sense." Iago commented. "If the lamp was gone, how did the princes have it?"

"I don't know." Viren said. He tightened his grip on his staff. "But if it's still in Katolis, then we can get it back. With the power of the genie, Xadia will be ours in no time. So while Soren and Claudia are… taking care of the princes, you'll take the lamp and bring it to me."

"Good plan. But I'd like to get back to my earlier point that I DON'T WANT TO DO IT!"

Viren sighed. "I should have known you'd be this stubborn. Luckily, I have an idea."

"Find some other chump to do your grunt work?"

"No. A deal. You know the way we've been harvesting small things off of you to strengthen our spells?"

"Small things? My wings are still sore from the last time. The only reason I let it happen is because you'd let me stay in this castle."

"Well, what if I said I could stop using you for spells?"

Iago stared with interest. "Keep talking."

"If you bring me the lamp, I'll let you stay in the castle for nothing. You'll be living the life of ease you like and you won't have to sacrifice a single feather again."

Iago pondered for a second. "And I don't have to do any fighting, right?"

"Most likely."

"…Well, when you put it like that, I guess I'll go. I mean, living the life of luxury rent-free? How can I refuse?"

"That's pretty much what I expected from you. Just two things. One, do not tell Soren or Claudia about the lamp. I don't want them distracted from their mission. And two, no matter what happens, no matter the circumstances, no matter what… accidents may occur, you bring me that lamp."

Iago fell silent for a minute. He was starting to suspect something about the situation. But still, the promise of no more being used for spells was too good to pass up. "All right."

* * *

After an hour of hiking, Rayla decided to take the mountain trail. The princes argued that it was too rough, but Rayla insisted. She wanted to avoid any more hunters or monsters, but she wouldn't let the others know that. During the mountain climb, Ezran complained about the weight of the egg. Rayla offered to take it off his hands, but Callum was still skeptical about her. It was clear the two didn't trust each other.

**Grrrrrr!**

Everyone stopped when they heard the growling sound. Rayla was the most worried.

"What was that?" she asked. "Is it a monster?"

"Nah, it's me." Ezra chuckled. "I guess I'm kinda hungry."

"Not gonna lie. I am too." Callum said.

Rayla sighed. "All right. We can have a little snack break."

Callum reached out his bag and dug his hand into it… only to find it completely empty. He shifted his hand around quickly, but had no success. "Uh, oh."

"What's up, Cal?" Genie asked.

"I don't have the food." Callum admitted.

"What?" Rayla gasped. "You had one job! How could you lose the food?"

"Hey, it's your fault." Callum accused. "You're the one who made me leave it behind when you rushed us!"

"Oh, that's right. Because I remember yelling three things: 'hurry, hurry', 'let's go, go, go', and 'be sure to abandon all the supplies you need to survive in the wild'."

"Genie, do you think you can make us some more food?" Ezran asked.

"If it's a wish, I can give you a buffet with a side of pizza. If not, no can do."

Rayla sighed. "Well, luckily for you, I still have some moonberry juice. It's got the nutrients we all need, and I still have plenty…" She picked up a flask, but became upset when she found it empty. "Still had plenty! All right! Which one of you stole it?"

"I didn't touch your things." Callum said.

"Don't look at me." Ezran said.

"Not me!" Genie conjured an empty picture frame around him. "I was framed!"

"Well someone stole it! If it wasn't any of you, then…"

**HIC!**

Everyone turned to see Bait glowing a deep shade of purplish red. He hiccupped again.

"Wait." Rayla growled. "Did that little frog monster…"

"Bait didn't do it." Ezran defended. "You have no reason to suspect…"

**HIC!**

"Look at him!" Rayla said. "He's glowing!"

"Well, Bait glows different ways depending on his mood." Rayla explained. "Whether he's lonely, or hungry, or angry… or hangry."

"That's when you're so hungry, you're angry." Genie explained.

"I know what hangry means." Rayla said. "So what does this color signify."

Ezran knelt down to further examine Bait. "Actually, I've never seen him glow like this before. Kind of a purplish red… berry color." **BUUUURP!** "Yeah, he drank it."

Rayla was furious and began to stomp further up the hill.

"I think she's hangry." Callum said.

"I'm 'habsolutely hurious'." Rayla said angrily.

* * *

Iago still had Viren's words in his head when he flew on down to Soren and Claudia in the courtyard.

"Iago!" Claudia greeted. "So Dad convinced you to come along."

"Made me an offer I couldn't refuse." Iago said. "So when do we leave?"

"In a moment." Soren answered. "First… Did Dad say anything strange to either of you?"

Soren knew to ask that since earlier, Viren told him to kill the princes, or at least hint at it. Claudia was held back remembering earlier when her dad told her to get the egg at all cost, even if it meant sacrificing the others.

"Kinda…" Claudia responded nervously.

"Um… Can't think of anything." Iago lied. "Did he say anything to you?

"Uh… Nope." Soren lied as well. "Just standard Dad stuff. So Claudia, what did he say to you that was so strange?"

Claudia was nervous. She didn't want to bring it up, so she made up her own lie. "He said that walnuts are his favorite… fruit."

"What?" Iago asked suddenly.

"I don't even think they're a fruit." Soren said.

"They're not." Claudia said.

"Well, that is strange." Soren chuckled.

"I mean, what's his favorite vegetable, ice cream?" Claudia asked with her own laughter.

"What's up with those two?" Iago thought in his head. "Well, can't worry about that."

The three of them packed up and went on their journey.

* * *

The higher the group climbed, the colder it got. Rayla eventually led them to the snowy top of the mountain. Genie stopped for a moment to sniff his armpit… and then, his head shattered to pieces like broken glass. A new head popped out.

"Hoo! Stinky!" Genie said. "I'm gonna pop back into my lamp for a quick rinse." He whisked back into his lamp leaving the kids.

What followed next was another argument between Callum and Rayla. The elf was trying to convince the boys to trust her with the egg, but Callum was still skeptical. Ezran stopped the two pointing out the avalanche zone. They tried to sneak past until…

**BUUUUUUUUURP!**

Bait gave a very loud burp that shook the snow above too loose. The blanket of snow crashed down and carried the kids back down the mountain. Callum tried to blow it away with his wind spell, but he couldn't keep it going long enough. The drift brought them all the way to the bottom, which was near a big, frozen lake. And unfortunately, Ezran and Callum were literally on thin ice. Rayla was on the side standing on good, solid ice.

Callum carefully took hold Ezran's backpack, which held the egg and the lamp. Callum looked back at Rayla and presented it to her.

"Rayla, I'm going to hand you the egg." Callum said. "I'm sorry if I was a jerk before. We're lucky to have you as our friend. I trust you."

Rayla was very much tempted to accept the egg, but she stopped herself. She decided to get something off her chest.

"Wait. Before you do, I need to tell you the truth. This morning, the big rush is because I was attacked. A human ambushed me. I think he was from your Aunt Amaya. Not only that, but there was also a monster attack. It was a monster that was after us. It worked for an evil sorceress named Mirage, and she'll do anything to destroy the egg and guarantee war between humans and Xadia. I fought them off, but it iwas hard… because of this." She presented her injured hand and pointed at the ribbon around her wrist. "It's an assassin's binding. A Moonshadow elf ritual. Before I met you, I swore an oath. I bound myself… to take Prince Ezran's life. And this binding will never come off while he's alive. I used my first wish to try to get it off, but even Genie wasn't able to remove it. Now, it'll just get tighter and tighter until I lose my hand. But now, I'm ready to pay that price."

That was a lot to unpack, but Callum smiled at her honesty. "Thank you for telling us. But we need to focus on the situation." He took a few steps closer bringing the backpack closer.

Rayla stopped him. She decided that for complete trust, she had to tell the truth about their father. "There's one more thing. The night I met you, something bad happened."

"Rayla, there's no time right now." Callum said nervous about the ice.

"Callum, I need to tell you! The king! He's…"

"JUST TAKE IT!" Callum shouted as he shoved the backpack in her hands.

Unfortunately, Callum's push added pressure to Rayla's injured hand. She grunted in pain as she accidently let the backpack slip from her grasp and hit the ice. The drop was so hard, it broke right through panicking everybody.

"You dropped it!" Callum shouted in surprise.

"I just told you, my hand was messed up!" Rayla shouted.

Suddenly, Ezran jumped right into the ice out of instinct. Callum tried to follow, but Rayla stopped him saying it was too dangerous.

Underneath the ice, Ezran swam all the way to the bottom. When he reached it, he knew he'd drown before he made it back up. Then, he had an idea. He made sure the egg was stuffed inside the backpack so it wouldn't be touched on accident. Then, he pulled out the lamp and rubbed it. That's when Genie popped out with a large brush and a rubber duck.

"It never fails. You take a bath, and someone rubs the lamp. Hello?" He turned to see Ezran struggling to breathe. "What? EZ! Oh, no! You know I can't do anything unless you make a wish! Just say 'Genie, I wish for you to save my life'. Got it? COME ON, EZRAN!" Ezran nodded his head starting to lose consciousness. "I'll take that as a yes."

Genie blared out a siren noise from his mouth before changing into a large, blue submarine. "Upscope!" He grabbed Ezran before shooting upwards speaking Russian.

In less than a second, the ice broke as Genie shot himself out of the ice with Ezran in his arms. Callum and Rayla went to him on the safe side of the frozen lake with worried faces. Ezran coughed out the water and hugged everyone in an embrace.

"Glad you made it." Callum said in joy.

"You did it." Rayla praised. "You made it. And you saved the egg too."

"Don't you dare scare me like that again, Ez." Genie said.

"No promises." Ezran said. He began to shiver, and Callum lent him a blanket. "Callum, Rayla, I hated how we acted today. Can we try again?"

Rayla chuckled. "Sure. Where would you like to start?"

Ezran nodded to Genie. The blue spirit then materialized a piano and started to play it while Ezran sang.

"_Let's all just get along from now on_

_Let's all just get along from now on_

_Now that we know better_

_After all that we've been through_

_We can get through this by doing it together_

_It doesn't matter who we are_

_It doesn't matter where we're from_

_It doesn't matter what we are_

_'Cause in the end_

_We're all good people and we're even better friends_"

Callum sighed before turning to Rayla. "Look, if I were you, I'd hate me too."

"I don't hate you." Rayla responded.

"If other people did a lot of bad stuff to me, I'd be angry as well. I guess, I needed a little perspective."

"I suppose that means double for me."

"Good kids. Crazy hijinks." Genie said. He continued playing while Ezran continued singing.

"_It doesn't matter who we are_

_It doesn't matter where we're from_

_It doesn't matter what we are_

_'Cause in the end_

_We're all good people and we're even better friends_

_We're all good people and we're even better friiiieeeends_"

It was utterly a heartwarming moment. Unfortunately, it didn't last. Ezran gazed at the open backpack, and saw a blue light dimming. He quickly reached inside and pulled out the dragon egg. Everyone watched with worry as the blue glow at the center slowly began to dim.

"There's something wrong with the egg." Ezran gasped.

"Oh, that can't be good." Genie said.


End file.
